How to Save Money on Your Business Energy Bill

An easy way to curb business costs is through your energy
bill. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, about 30
percent of energy use in buildings is inefficient and unnecessary.

For many businesses, lighting and cooling use the most
electricity, but energy use will naturally depend on the nature of the
operations. For instance, auto dealers, restaurants and hotels typically use
more energy per square foot than an office building will. An ENERGY STAR®
report estimates that hotels and motels in the United States spend about 6
percent of their operating costs on energy each year. For a home-based
business, the top energy consumers are usually lighting, cooling and computers.

Whether you manage a facility or work out of your home, you
can take steps to save energy. For starters, there are opportunities to
optimize your energy use with your equipment. For example, things like dirty
condenser coils, loose electrical connections and low refrigerant can increase
the energy costs of refrigeration systems. Also, replacing incandescent bulbs
with LEDs will result in a lower annual cost to light them.

For home-based offices, the ENERGY
STAR® program recommends these improvements:

Seal air ducts and add insulation.

Improve heating and cooling systems.

Seal ductwork.

Replace windows.

Upgrade lighting, appliances and water-heating
equipment.

The energy experts at Conserve Energy recommend that you
check on daily energy consumption for opportunities to save. Are
the lights always on in your business— and do they need to
be? What about the heat or air conditioning – are they always running?